What a Coincidence

Streaks of light flashed across the distant sky as the Magic Council's Rune Knights rushed toward the fluctuations of magic, swiftly sealing off the entire forest battlefield.

They soon took control of the scene, bound the villainous leader, whose eyes had been beaten clear, and escorted him to the broken train.

Riyao drew in the golden-green light surrounding him, his strength dipping slightly, and stood beside Gray and Cana as he clearly explained the whole story to the rune officers.

The Spectral Bone Trickster Guild had deliberately hijacked the train and sacrificed their companions to produce forbidden magic, intending to slaughter the innocent passengers. The three had been forced to fight back to protect themselves.

As soon as he finished, the passengers who had emerged from the rear carriages gathered around.

They eagerly spoke up for the three children, recounting with gratitude how everyone would have died in the wilderness if the children had not risked their lives to protect them.

Looking at the wrecked train and the devastated woodland, the rune officials had initially intended to hold Fairy Tail accountable under the rules and make the guild pay for the damage.

But the passengers all spoke up in the children's defense, protesting the unfairness in one voice. Under the pressure, the officials had no choice but to drop the matter and ultimately said nothing more about compensation.

And so the incident came to an end.

Meanwhile, in the Fairy Tail guildhall in Magnolia,

Makarov had just received the first urgent report from the scene. All he knew was that the three youngsters had encountered a powerful enemy while out on a job, smashed a train, and destroyed a large stretch of forest. The news that they had been cleared of liability had yet to reach him.

His unease instantly peaked. His knees went weak, and he clutched his money pouch as he paced back and forth through the guildhall, his face drawn with worry and his mouth full of sighs.

"We're done for, done for, completely done for..."

"A wrecked train and destroyed woodland—we'll definitely have to pay a fortune for this! My savings, the guild's funds, all of it will go down the drain!"

The old man was so busy fretting over his purse that he had no idea the three troublemaking brats had already been shielded by everyone and wouldn't have to pay a single cent.

After the incident, the Magic Council arranged for the three to take a later train, and they arrived safely in the port city of Hargeon.

They had planned to make the trip there and back in a day and had packed light, without so much as a change of clothes.

After all the fighting along the way, their clothes were torn and covered in dust and bone fragments, leaving them a sorry sight. So the three immediately found a clothing shop to buy new outfits.

Only after they entered the shop did they discover that Gray's clothes were gone, leaving him in nothing but boxer shorts. He had no idea where he had lost them and stood there all alone, too embarrassed to know what to do.

Riyao immediately turned to look elsewhere, his expression composed, as though the person before him had nothing to do with him.

Cana covered her mouth and giggled, turning aside in silent agreement and acting as though she didn't know him. Gray's cheeks burned with anger.

The three found a clean pool, rinsed the dust from their bodies, and changed into crisp new clothes, finally ridding themselves of their disheveled appearance.

Once they were ready, they followed the address to the client's estate and truthfully explained to the guard at the gate how the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild had ambushed them on the way and delayed their journey.

After confirming their identities, the guard reported their arrival. Before long, a gleaming magic four-wheel-drive car actually came out from inside the estate.

Riyao looked at the courtyard right in front of them, plainly just a few steps away, and couldn't help exclaiming:

"Isn't this ridiculous? They actually have to drive around their own yard? Is that really necessary?"

Gray frowned and snorted. "Completely unnecessary. Spoiled rotten."

Cana pursed her lips and added, "How big must this estate be?"

The magic four-wheel-drive car drove smoothly along the estate's tree-lined avenue.

The neatly trimmed greenery on either side rushed past, and the main building in the distance gradually came into view.

It was a luxurious mansion with gilded roof tiles and ornately carved colonnades, even grander than they had imagined.

Ten minutes later, the car pulled to a smooth stop in front of the entrance. The butler bowed and led the three across marble floors polished like mirrors and through a corridor lined with oil paintings, finally bringing them into a spacious study.

Incense curled through the study, and bookshelves stretched to the ceiling, but Eker, the nobleman sitting behind the mahogany desk, was completely out of place in the elegant surroundings.

His face was deathly pale, with heavy dark circles beneath his sunken eyes. He looked so weak that even sitting upright seemed beyond him.

It was as though all his vitality had been drained away, leaving him looking utterly "hollowed out."

The corner of Riyao's eye twitched uncontrollably, and he muttered inwardly, What mysterious illness? Judging by his expression and complexion, this is clearly kidney deficiency taken to the extreme!

He turned and gave Gray and Cana a look, lowering his voice. "Wait outside for now. I'll speak to Mr. Eker alone."

Gray didn't ask any questions. He simply answered, "Okay," and turned to leave.

Cana blinked curiously, wanting to stick around and see what happened, but Riyao stopped her with a "don't make trouble" look. She pursed her lips and reluctantly followed Gray out, closing the door behind her.

Eker hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands. "You've misunderstood... Sigh, everyone who sees me like this makes the same assumption. It's hardly the first time."

He held his forehead, his voice weak and aggrieved. "I've always conducted myself properly and kept a very regular schedule. It's definitely not what you think. It all started half a month ago."

As he spoke, a profound helplessness surfaced in his eyes. "I got up as usual that morning, and suddenly my whole body felt sore and weak. The magic and vitality inside me were quietly slipping away."

"In just half a month, I've grown more haggard by the day, as if something were quietly draining my vitality. I sought out every renowned doctor and court mage in the city, but no one could find the cause. They could only assume I'd contracted some unnamed strange illness."

The teasing look vanished from Riyao's eyes, and his expression hardened as he instantly realized something was wrong. It seemed to match the Spectral Bone Trickster Guild's method of draining life force.

He leaned forward and pressed the question in a serious tone.

"Think back carefully. Half a month ago, did you encounter anyone strange? Did any unfamiliar mages come calling?"

"Or did you bring any antiques or ornaments of unknown origin into the house? Did you visit any places heavy with yin energy, like the wilderness or a cemetery?"

"Your weakness came without warning. There must be some outside force secretly at work."

Eker thought hard for a while, then suddenly started, a flicker of alarm crossing his weak face.

"I remember! Half a month ago, strange things kept happening in a corner of the estate's back garden. An entire patch of grass withered overnight. I thought something was wrong with the soil or water, and I happened to be feeling unwell, so I didn't have time to deal with it!"

He immediately led Riyao out of the study, called Gray and Cana over from where they were waiting outside, and headed with them toward the secluded back garden.

After passing through the ornate, tree-lined avenue, they reached the area and spotted the anomaly at a glance. The entire estate was lush and thriving, but this one patch of ground was bare, its gray-black soil dry and cracked. It was utterly lifeless and completely at odds with its surroundings.

Gray instantly sensed a familiar, chilling aura and knitted his brows. Cana also instinctively tightened her grip on her cards and looked around warily.

Riyao walked slowly forward and pressed his fingertips to the ground. A faint golden-green glow quietly probed into the soil.

When he sensed the bone-element death aura surging beneath it, he said nothing. He bent down and dug with his bare hands, quickly making a deep hole.

At the bottom lay a ghastly white skeleton. Dark bone markings identical to those on their earlier enemy wound around its bones, and a curse seal that stole life force lingered on it.

Riyao looked at the skeleton, understanding in his eyes. He pursed his lips helplessly and murmured.

"Heh, what a coincidence."